Russell Westbrook found multiple different ways to honor the city in which he spent the first 11 years of his career during his return to Oklahoma City with the Houston Rockets on Thursday night.
From keeping his pregame routine to the “Zero Regrets” statement shirt, Westbrook gave the Thunder and their fans as much love as possible while still being a member of the opposing team.
Loudest I’ve ever heard it when Russell Westbrook runs to the corner. Awesome that he did his Thunder pregame routine. pic.twitter.com/KsWHyWF6oY
— Erik Horne (@ErikHorneOK) January 10, 2020
Those two things weren’t all that Westbrook did to show his gratitude for the Thunder organization. He also wore a pair of custom Jordan’s in OKC’s signature colorway, a pair of shoes that ESPN has nominated for best sneakers during Week 12.
On his feet was a new pair of his signature Jordan WhyNot Zer0.3 sneakers, in the orange and blue hues he’d known for more than a decade. Layered all throughout the upper of the shoe was a collection of his stats with the Thunder during his 11 seasons, along with a simple “Thank You!” message across the heel of each shoe.
As noted by Nick DePaula, Westbrook signed a 10-year deal with Jordan Brand just before signing an extension with the Thunder in 2017 and “all throughout his return, fans showered him yet again with “MVP” chants.”
As of the time of this writing, Westbrook and his custom OKC colorway Jordan WhyNot Zer0.3 sneakers were winning for the best of the week with 34% of the vote.